Assault rifles are commonly carried by both law enforcement in the performance of their civilian duty and by the military in armed combat situations. Because of the length and size of assault type weapons, as exemplified by the Colt M-16 or M-16 clones, the weapons require the dedication of at least one-hand at all times to maintain control of the weapon. This encumbers a soldier or law enforcement officer by restricting their movements to one hand in emergency situations. Frequently two hands are required under emergency or combat scenarios, which cannot be accomplished when one hand is dedicated to maintaining control of the assault weapon. There exists a need for a holster to securely and safely hold the assault weapon on the person of the soldier or law enforcement officer, while enabling rapid deployment of the weapon.